Here’s how to keep the things you want to see in your news feed now Facebook has changed its algorithm
Being connected to different groups on Facebook can be challenging (LOIC VENANCE/AFP/Getty Images)
Earlier this month Facebook announced that it would be filtering out news publishers from your feed.
While some people won’t see much of a difference, the change will mean fewer news stories will appear in user’s feeds. Facebook explained that it will “show less public content, including videos and other posts from publishers or businesses”.
On top of this Mark Zuckerberg has pledged that only “trusted” media sources will be shown.
The method in which Facebook will narrow down these sources relies strongly on its community of users.
Related: Facebook’s trustworthiness tool could be dangerous for LGBT+ rights
“This update will not change the amount of news you see on Facebook,” Zuckerberg wrote in a statement on his personal Facebook. “It will only shift the balance of news you see towards sources that are determined to be trusted by the community.”
Facebook hopes to determine “trusted” sources by rolling out it’s “trustworthiness tool” – surveys which will filter and serve only stories that people find “trustworthy”, “informative” and relevant to their “local community”.
This change will no doubt affect how you consume PinkNews, so here are the four easy steps you can follow in order to make sure that you see out content on your feed.
1: Find us on Facebook and make sure you have liked and followed our page
2. Click the drop down following box on either mobile or desktop.
If you are using desktop then first you must select ‘See First’ underneath the ‘in your news feed’ option.
If you also want to receive notifications about when we post something that may be of interest to you, or if you want to know when we are on Facebook Live, then be sure to click the pencil next to notifications.
This will bring up a separate menu and here you will see the options to select as shown in the pictures below.
If you are using PinkNews primarily on Facebook then search for our page using the bar at the top of your app.
Click on following and change the option underneath ‘in your news feed’ from ‘default’ to ‘see first’ (the far right mobile’.
Similarly to desktop, if you want to receive notifications about when we post something that may be of interest to you, or if you want to know when we are on Facebook Live then click ‘edit notification settings’.
From here you can turn on notifications for posts and live videos shared by PinkNews.
The move is one of many changes that are being rolled out by the social media giant after CEO Mark Zuckerberg promised to “fix” the platform this year.
The trustworthiness tool is composed of just two questions and will ask users the following:
Do you recognize the following websites:
Yes
No
How much do you trust each of these domains?
Entirely
A lot
Somewhat
Barely
Not at all
A Facebook spokesperson confirmed to Buzzfeed this as the only version of the survey in use.
The questions were prepared by the company itself and not by an outside party, raising questions about whether the company have sought the appropriate expertise before implementing the survey and its results.
Related: Facebook trustworthiness survey revealed – and it’s just two questions long
A series of journalists, LGBT+ groups and experts have spoken out against the questionnaire, raising concerns that it could lead to a rise in “misinformation” and “persecution” of vulnerable groups like the LGBT+ community.
“We’re keen to see measures in place to ensure news rating systems aren’t abused by homophobic, biphobic or transphobic trolls targeting LGBT+ websites and publications. Social media platforms can be a valuable source of information and connection for lesbian, gay, bi and trans people, particularly in countries where being LGBT+ is illegal or culturally taboo,” said a Stonewall spokesperson.
Benjamin Cohen, Chief Executive of PinkNews Media Group said: “The changes that Facebook is making could lead to homophobes being asked to evaluate the ‘trustworthiness’ of LGBT+ media.
“If large numbers of people tell Facebook that a publisher is untrustworthy, its content could be restricted for distribution on the Facebook newsfeed.
“This is unhealthy for democracy and for LGBT+ rights. I urge Facebook to issue greater clarity about how LGBT+ and other minority media will not unintentionally be discriminated against as a result of its policy changes.”
